TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance has announced it will not sell the popular video-sharing app to continue operating in the United States, despite a possible ban under legislation signed by President Biden on Wednesday. .
The bill, included in the foreign aid package signed by Biden, gives ByteDance up to a year to sell TikTok or be barred from operating in the United States. , to share U.S. user data, prompted by national security concerns raised by advocates who argued that the Chinese government could force TikTok to do so.
This is the latest and most serious threat TikTok has ever faced in the US, but the company isn’t backing down.
The company issued a statement regarding ByteDance-owned news aggregation app Toutiao, saying ByteDance is considering options to sell TikTok in the U.S. without using algorithms, according to a copy of the statement. He denied a report in Thursday’s The Information that made the claim. CNN reported.
In a statement, ByteDance said, “Reports in foreign media that ByteDance is considering selling TikTok are false.”
“ByteDance has no plans to sell TikTok.”
The Hill has reached out to TikTok for comment.
Even if TikTok were purchased in the U.S., China’s export regulations would restrict the transfer of algorithms, so it would likely be different from the app users currently use, and TikTok’s algorithm would be different from the one users currently use. This is an important factor in its popularity among people.
Another path for TikTok to continue operating in the United States is through success in court. TikTok announced on Wednesday, shortly after Biden signed the bill, that it would challenge it in court.
Other attempts to ban TikTok have been blocked by courts both under the Trump administration and in states.
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